When Trust Is Gone - The Quarterback's Regret Novels & Stories

he said quietly. I didn’t respond. “I won’t let anyone weaponize your past to question that,” he continued. “That’s not your decision alone,” I said carefully. “I know.” He meant it. The quiet stretched again. “Do you regret it?” he asked after a moment. “The photos?” “Yes.” I considered. “No,” I said finally. “I regret who I trusted. Not the fact that I trusted.” His expression shifted—something like respect flickering there. “That’s not weakness,” he said.

The way her eyes had begged me to trust her and just pushed her away. I pressed both hands against my face. “I treated her like liar,” I whispered. “I accused her of something she didn’t even do. I didn’t even give her a chance to defend herself.” Davis remained quiet, professional, letting me process. Regret dug into my skin like barbed wire. I had prided myself on being able to read people, on knowing who to trust on the ice, in life, in love. Yet the one person who had given me her heart, the one person who had been true—I had thrown her away because Marco whispered poison in my ear.

“Sister, I know nothing I say can change anything. But I’m still sorry. I’m sorry I took your love for granted. I’m sorry I got so used to taking that I forgot how to be grateful. I’m sorry that for my own stupid pride, I hurt the only person who ever truly loved me. I know I’m selfish. I don’t deserve to be your sister. I will pay back the fifteen million. I’ll spend the rest of my life paying it back. Goodbye, sister. I wish you happiness.” I stared at the screen, at those desperate, remorseful words. A week ago, this would have broken my heart. I would have sent a car to bring her home, to hold her and tell her it was okay. But now, looking at those pale words, I only felt a deep sorrow.

"I know I was wrong. I really do. Every day this past year, I've regretted how I treated you. Please… give me another chance. Let's start over." "Start over?" I let out a cold laugh. "Jason, trust is like a mirror. Once it's shattered, it can never be pieced back together. Do you really think there's any chance for us?" He had no words. Then Charles suddenly ran from behind him, clinging to my leg, wailing. "Mom! Mom! I'm sorry! It's my fault! I shouldn't have lied to you, I shouldn't have called you Aunt! Don't leave me, Mom! I miss you so much!"

I said nothing. He nodded to himself, accepting it like he knew he deserved the quiet war. He even refrained from glancing at me. His eyes were stuck staring on the road like he was driving a bomb in the car. Which was fair. Because I was the bomb. I leaned my head back, hugging myself as the week replayed in my mind. That tiny part of me that still hoped… got smashed. Like a tomato thrown at a wall of disappointment. The trust I gave him was made out of glass. And he dropped it.

To tear my way out of this soaring airplane, to throw myself into certain death, to flee from my own awareness in an attempt to escape the repercussions of what occurred here. Losing the Bruce Marshall deal would've been a catastrophe. But losing Klaus was un-fucking-possible. I wasn't going to let it. Wouldn't. I would do whatever it took to get her back. But trust was abstract; it wasn't cash, smart clothes, or a posh vacation. It wasn't the sort of thing you could hoard once you'd lost it, unlike tangible things. "Sir?" A cabin attendant touched my shoulder hesitantly. I glared at her, unwavering. Her gaze drifted from my destroyed phone to me.

"I was just thinking about how fast time's flown," I said. "All these years together... kinda hit me outta nowhere." Matthew smiled, tapped my nose. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. We've got decades ahead of us." Decades? The word echoed in my head like a joke with a mean punchline. Once trust is gone, all that's left is paranoia and pain. A lifetime of that? No thanks. I forced a smile. "Alright. Decades it is. Let's light the candles."

My shoulder wasn’t injured because of bad luck. It wasn’t an accident. Someone had known exactly where to attack. Someone had known exactly how to force me off my game. And that information had come from the one person I had trusted without hesitation. I finally forced myself to move. Each step toward the exit felt heavier than the one before. I wasn’t thinking about the championship anymore. I wasn’t thinking about hockey, I was only thinking about one question. Why hadn’t she trusted me? If the coach had really threatened her… Why hadn’t she come to me? Had I failed to make her feel safe enough to tell me the truth?

But even his memory wasn’t enough to save me from this. My last thoughts weren’t of hope. They were of regret. Every bad decision since this whole mess started, everything I've discovered in the last 8 years. It all consumed my mind Why did I help them? They were never my family. It had been clear all along, but I ignored those doubts. Why did I leave him? He was the only one who truly cared, he was the my rock, and I just abandoned him. Why did I ever think loyalty would protect me? Look at me now, look at where my blind trust and loyalty has gotten me, here, alone, in this horde, dying.

he trailed off, his unfinished sentence hanging in the air. Hope flickered in my heart as I was immediately able to grasp what he wanted to say, and I interrupted him, pleading for him to finish his sentence. "Please, Jason, what were you going to say? I need to know." He stared at me for a moment, his expression hardening. "What's the point, Maddy? You've already shattered my trust. Whatever feelings ever tried to exist between us are gone. Long gone." His words struck me with a force that I couldn't comprehend. The realisation that I had not only lost his trust but also any chance of something more between us tore at my soul. I fell to my knees, my voice trembling with desperation.